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122 Structure and the Book ofZechariah
nvr "Qi, which may be discounted, DR3X mrr occurs twice, the first
time to close the pithy oracle of v. 6b, the second time as part of the
important oracle of v. 9b (cf 2.13, 15; 6.15b).
*733"iT occurs in vv. 6, 7, 9 and 10, and is clearly the most
distinctive single word in the section. See below.
'D occurs three times, and is used in three different ways. It may be
ignored.
p« occurs twice: ntfmn pun, 7.10-11; 'von p«n, 10.8-9.
The relation of these to each other is not clear. 1 The more obvious
understandings of 'top stone' and 'plummet' should probably be
retained. The second of these may still be chosen specially to
correspond with the first. 2
]n only occurs in 7.13-14, and therefore does not count as a
repeated word from our point of view.
T occurs with "?33~ir to form a strong inclusio for the oracle of
vv. 9-10acc: 'the hands of Zerubbabel' occurs right at the beginning,
and 'in the hand of Zerubbabel' right at the end. The other occurrence
belongs with the first: 'The hands of Zerubbabel... and his hands...'
Note that it is 1*3 that occurs again in v. 12.
The structure of this somewhat obscure section is fairly clear. The
oracle of vv. 9-10 is introduced by a weighty introductory formula. 3
1. G.R. Driver translated 'the stone (called) Possession' and 'the stone (called)
Separation' ('Babylonian and Hebrew Notes', WO 2 (1954), p. 22). This links and
contrasts the two instances. Petersen (Haggai and Zechariah, pp. 237-42) has 'the
former stone', meaning a stone taken from the former Temple and used in the
rebuilding (based on R. Ellis, Foundation Deposits in Ancient Mesopotamia [1968]),
and 'the tin tablet'. For further suggestions see Petitjean, Les oracles, pp. 230-36;
Meyers, Haggai, Zechariah, pp. 246-49, 253-54.
2. Amos 7.7-8 uses the word "]3U, and other possible references to a plummet
occur in 2 Kgs 21.13 and Isa. 28.17 (nbKAjtfa). It is obvious that we do not know
what was the normal expression for a plummet. We do know that the word pR
occurs twice.
3. Petitjean moves it to the beginning of the insertion, resulting in an original
oracle of vv. 8 + 6a-7 + 9-10a (Les oracles, pp. 263-67; [not 4.8-10a, 6b-7; and
not pp. 263-68; as in Meyers, Haggai, Zechariah, p. 250]). See esp. pp. 239-40.
where he analyses principal and secondary introductory formulae and conclusions
('The word of Yahweh came to me. ..'; 'You shall say, "Thus says Yahweh. .. " ';
and 'And you shall know. ..') in Zech. 6.9-15 and in various passages in Ezekiel.
Cf. 1.1, 7; 7.4, 8; 8.1, 18. We should not assume, however, that 4.9b is simply a
concluding formula, despite the fact that Rudolph would like to move it to the end of